Do I ship it?

GamesVisual NovelVisual Novel + Conspiracy

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Conspiracy Visual Novel?

Visual Novel + Conspiracy

Of 79 developers who shipped a Conspiracy Visual Novel in the last 2 years: 3 in 10 made under est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 4 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 20 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 134 more are announced, ×4.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.4k, ×5.1 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $720; 1 in 20 cleared $370k, ×785 the market median. Revenue is up 395% on the market; 134 games are announced against 33 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 5.1 times the market baseline, revenue up 395% on the market, 134 announced, ×4.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Visual Novel + Conspiracy
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 79
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $18k → $2.1k → $898 → $1.3k → $3.6k → $42k → $2.1k (still earning) → $9.7k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Visual Novel + Conspiracy: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 79
Bottom 30% $719 (exactly $719)
Median $2.4k (exactly $2,399)
Top 25% $20k (exactly $19,712)
Top 5% $373k (exactly $373,013)
Developers, 2 yr 79
Released games 228
Announced 134
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $8.99

momentum: how a niche's revenue percentiles and developer count moved between two equal, adjacent periods, divided by the market's own move. See method., 12 months: revenue up 395% on the market, supply 30% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, excluded from money figures.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Visual Novel
effort 2 / 10 · high · script, choices and static art
Conspiracy
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Visual Novel; 3 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Investigation, Choices Matter
Price point
$8.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Anime, Story Rich, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 12,090 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $720, median $2.4k, 1 in 4 over $19k, 1 in 20 over $370k.

3 in 10 developers made under $720. 8 in 10 of the 54 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 134 games are announced against 33 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Visual Novel with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + FMVStrong odds166 devs · median $54k · 146 announced
  2. + City BuilderStrong odds10 devs · median $19k · 8 announced
  3. + MusicStrong odds27 devs · median $18k · 24 announced
  4. + TrainsStrong odds12 devs · median $8.0k · 5 announced
  5. + Souls-likeFair25 devs · median $27k · 17 announced
  6. + MinigamesFair20 devs · median $22k · 19 announced
  7. + RhythmFair38 devs · median $18k · 52 announced
  8. + JRPGFair219 devs · median $13k · 265 announced
  9. + Immersive SimFair399 devs · median $7.8k · 453 announced
  10. + SwordplayFair13 devs · median $5.7k · 10 announced
  11. + GamblingFair16 devs · median $5.7k · 12 announced
  12. + DiplomacyFair16 devs · median $5.4k · 19 announced

All 188 pairs on the Visual Novel page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- $59.99 6,893 88% 207k $12M (exactly $12,405,332) Too Kyo Games, Media.Vision Inc.
AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - nirvanA Initiative older $39.99 3,571 86% 107k $4.3M (exactly $4,284,129) Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
The Operator older $13.99 8,515 91% 255k $3.6M (exactly $3,573,746) Bureau 81
Far Away older $12.99 7,598 94% 228k $3.0M (exactly $2,960,941) Gratesca
BURIED STARS older $39.99 2,117 83% 64k $2.5M (exactly $2,539,765) LINE Games Corporation
Tails Noir older $24.99 2,592 66% 78k $1.9M (exactly $1,943,222) Eggnut
SHUTEN ORDER $49.99 712 80% 21k $1.1M (exactly $1,067,786) Neilo Inc.
No Sleep For Kaname Date - From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES $39.99 835 79% 25k $1.0M (exactly $1,001,750) Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
ROBOTICS;NOTES ELITE older $34.99 698 90% 21k $733k (exactly $732,691) MAGES. Inc.
Fetish Locator Week One older $9.99 2,418 84% 73k $725k (exactly $724,675) ViNovella Games
The Shell Part III: Paradiso $19.99 622 96% 19k $373k (exactly $373,013) Innocent Grey
CUCKOLD SIMULATOR: Life as a Beta Male Cuck $4.99 1,680 93% 50k $251k (exactly $251,496) Team SNEED
DAEMON MASQUERADE $14.99 514 95% 15k $231k (exactly $231,146) Callum Page
Rina's Undercover Train Operation $13.99 286 70% 8.6k $120k (exactly $120,034) Metamorphose
Shale Hill Secrets $14.99 245 80% 7.4k $110k (exactly $110,176) Love-Joint
Phantom PHANTOM OF INFERNO NITRO ARCHIVE $29.99 108 94% 3.2k $97k (exactly $97,168) NITRO PLUS, NITRO ORIGIN
Lucky Bastard $15.99 195 75% 5.9k $94k (exactly $93,542) LLP Clerik Studio

Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.